The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

Obvious or not, when it comes to fiery objects it’s always better to be extra safe than sorry, right? But in case you weren’t sure when there would be a large surge in fireworks-related injuries, a survey from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that most fireworks injuries happened during the month of the July 4th holiday.

While we’re all excited to be “Yay America!” during Independence Day festivities, it’s important to remember what puts the fire in fireworks — um, fire. Hot, burning fire. So try to be extra careful.

The survey conducted last year from June 17 to July 17 found that 65% of all fireworks injuries occurred within the month of the 4th of July. Four people were killed and over 9,600 people across the nation were injured by either professional-grade or homemade fireworks.

“For thousands of consumers, last year’s 4th of July celebration ended with a visit to the emergency room,” CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a press release. “CPSC wants you to understand the risks with legal and illegal fireworks, in order to prevent an injury, or worse, during this holiday.”

The most common injury seems to be burns to the hands and fingers, with adults ages 20-44 most likely to get injured. Men hurt themselves with the things they can set off themselves — firecrackers, sparklers, bottle rockets, novelty devices, Roman candles, and reloadable shells — while women were usually injured at public firework displays.